Maryland Section 2 is almost certainly the least interesting of Maryland’s seven Appalachian Trail (AT) sections. (Note: As delineated by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club’s Appalachian Trail Guide to Maryland and Northern Virginia.) It does offer variety, however, as it weaves through dense deciduous forest and open fields in a quiet and peaceful section of …
After 229 miles in Pennsylvania, the Appalachian Trail (AT) spends a relatively brief 41 miles running through Maryland, mostly following the lengthy ridgeline of South Mountain. While thru-hikers will breeze through the state in 2-3 days, day-trippers can complete the Maryland portion in seven discrete sections. (Note: This is the breakdown outlined in the excellent …
Continuing where the Dickey Ridge Trail – Section 1 left off, the second half of the Dickey Ridge Trail extends five miles from the Dickey Ridge Picnic Area to Compton Gap in Shenandoah National Park’s North District. Highlights include a beautiful viewpoint from a clear cut near the start and Fort Windham Rocks toward the …
Continue reading Dickey Ridge Trail – Section 2 (Shenandoah National Park, VA)
Live and Let Hike hit its stride in 2016, nearly tripling the number of visitors and page views seen in 2015. I also passed a new milestone—my 200th blog post—and greatly expanded the geographic breadth and depth of hike descriptions, including posts from Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, DC, and Quebec. Taking a break …
More than a dozen hiking trails crisscross northern Virginia’s Sky Meadows State Park, situated on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains—and there is perhaps no better hike in the park than the moderately strenuous circuit described here. Scenic vistas abound as hikers make their way up South Ridge, head northeast along a section …
Continue reading South Ridge-Ambassador Whitehouse Trail Loop (Sky Meadows State Park, VA)
The area between Virginia’s Sky Meadows State Park and West Virginia’s Harper’s Ferry boasts a section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) billed as the “Roller Coaster,” one of the AT’s toughest, up-and-down grinds. This 5-mile out-and-back to Raven Rocks covers a piece of the Roller Coaster, a hilly affair that ends at a scenic vista …
Continue reading Appalachian Trail to Raven Rocks (North Blue Ridge area, VA/WV)
From the northern entrance of Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, it takes more than 10 miles to clear Dickey Ridge and reach the “real” mountains of the Blue Ridge by car. 2,909-foot Compton Peak, situated 10.4 miles up Skyline Drive, is neither the park’s tallest promontory nor the prettiest, but it is the first of the …
Continue reading Appalachian Trail to Compton Peak (Shenandoah National Park, VA)
Perched at the southern tip of South Mountain, more than 500 feet above the Potomac River, Weverton Cliffs in central Maryland is easily one of the state’s most scintillating viewpoints. It is also relatively easily accessible—less than a mile’s hike up the famed Appalachian Trail from the small community of Weverton, which in turn is …
Continue reading Appalachian Trail to Weverton Cliffs (South Mountain State Park, MD)
- Civil War Series - In September 1862, Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson used Loudoun Heights as a staging ground for the bombardment of the picturesque—but also strategic—town of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Today, remnants of the Civil War have mostly disappeared from the ridgetop, but spectacular views of Harper’s Ferry and the confluence of the …
Continue reading Loudoun Heights Trail (Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, WV)
- Civil War Series - The importance of Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia in influencing the course of American history is hard to overstate. This picturesque town, situated at the confluence of two rivers in a majestic valley, played host to a 19th century federal armory, Civil War battles, several distinguished civil rights advocates, and abolitionist …
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